Monday, August 24

Red Grapes In Muffins? Oh, Yeah.

Prior to blogging, I rarely made muffins. OK, I never made muffins. Now I find it difficult to go a week or more without baking some. There are so many things to love about muffins: They're easy to make. They're endlessly versatile. And, unlike many baked goods, they're portion controlled. (That is, as long as you don't eat two or three per sitting.)

Up until a few weeks ago, however, I had never made muffins with red grapes. I mean, red grapes in muffins? Is that natural? Oh, it's beyond natural. It's extraordinary. I should know. I have made them three times within the past few weeks, including for a brunch, where they received rave reviews.

These wonderfully moist muffins are laced with fragrant, subtly sweet wine and punctuated with juicy, red grapes. They're lovely as a midday snack with a cup of tea and even work well as an appetizer or light dessert when paired with a glass of wine and some cheese.

Come to think of it, it's been nearly two weeks since I last made these muffins. And it just so happens that I have a bunch of plump, juicy red grapes in the fridge....

Sweet Wine and Red Grape MuffinsMakes 6 jumbo or 12 regular sized muffinsHere is the original recipe for Individual Grape and Vin Santo Cakes on epicurious.com.

Note: The original recipe calls for a jumbo/Texas muffin pan. Since I don't have one, I used a 12-cup regular muffin tin. I was only able to fill 11 cups, so I filled the 12th cup with a little water while they were baking.

I always wanted to bake muffins and breads with grapes, but I never found a recipe for it so I thought it couldn't be done! Now you've proved that assumption wrong! Forget raisins! Fresh grapes are a bounty to muffins. Yours look adorable, especially with that light sugar dusting. The almost look like mini angel food cake. Great treat!

last week when i husband suggested to put grapes in a cake, i laughed:-) .. but it does work!! i wondered if the grapes stayed watery & would ruin the cakes! have to try it & let my hubby know he was right.

Ooo I LOVE the sound (and look) of these muffins!! I've been making muffins every week or two for the last year or so and am getting really sick of them. But these ones are luring me back into muffin making!

Wow, I've not thought of baking with grapes! These muffins look fantastic, Susan! I love trying new muffin recipes, however, my family is picky about what fillings or toppings I use.You are sooo creative!

What a great idea! Our grapevine is producing for the first time, so I've been looking for inspiration for what to do with all of these grapes. Muffins have been on my mind, but I didn't think of the addition of wine. Sounds delicious!

These just came out of the oven, and they are absolutely the best muffins I've ever made. So light and delicate. Grapes are a genius idea, and paired with the wine, orange zest, and that extra sugar on top - it all comes together just poetically. I couldn't keep them from sticking a bit to the bottom of the pan, but I feel like that was probably user error. Thanks for this recipe!!

Oh, and when you're stuck with extra wine, orange, and grapes...a makeshift sangria pairs well with these :-)

cayleybeth-So glad you like them! I find them refreshingly light too. I didn't have problems with sticking. Sometimes if the tins are scratched that can happen. A makeshift sangria? Ha! You're my kind of gal. Cheers!